Plastic composition used as a power-transmitting element in fluidclutches



D. LAKE. I

PLASTIC COMPOSITION USED AS A POWER TRANSMITTING ELEMENT IN FLUIDCLUTCHES.

APPLICATION FILED DEC.II. I916. RENEWED JUNE 18. 1918.

1,368,945. Patented Feb. 15, 1921.

DAVID LAKE,

OF NORRISTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA.

ASSIGN'OR, BY MESNE 'Assren- MEN'IS, .TO THE FULTON FOUNDRY MACHINECOMPANY, OF CLEVELAND,

OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

PLASTIC COMPOSITION USED AS A POWER-TRANSMITTING ELEMENT IN FLUID-CLUTCHES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 15, 1921.

Original application filed June 15, 1916, Serial No. 103,912. Dividedand this application filed December 11, 1916, Serial No. 136,234.Renewed June 18, 1918. Serial No. 240,688.

power transmitting member in fluid clutches so that the motion ofcthedriving element will be transmitted proportionately to the drivenelement according to the penetration of the driven element into theplastic material carried by the driving element.

In the accompanying drawing Figure 1, is a sectional view on the line1--1, Fig. 2, showing a fluid clutch in which my improved plastic fluidmember is used; and

Fig. 2, is a sectional Fig. 1.

y improved plastic fluid member is a comparatively thick, dense massconsisting of graphite, glycerin and asbestos fiber in about theproportion of two parts of graphite, two parts asbestos fiber and onepart glycerin. This mass is of such a consistency that when compacted itwill have suflicient solidity to resist movement of one element inrespect to another, but when it is not comacted it will allow oneelement to move free of the other element and, consequently, byregulating the density of the materia the transmission of power from oneelement to another can be accurately regulated. This compound isespecially adapted for use in a fluid clutch such as that described inmy pending application Serial No. 103,912, filed June 15th, 1916.

Referring to the drawing, 2 is the casing which, in the presentinstance, forms the driving element, and located within this casing is adriven element 3. In this driven element is a series of plungers 4mounted in radiating grooves and means are provided for projecting theplungers into the space view on the line 2-2,

between the driving and the driven elements. Inthe present instance, onthe inside of the casing 2 is a series of abutments 5 and 6, and some ofthese abutments (5) are at the base of the annular recess in the drivingelement, while the abutments 6 are at the sides of the recess, as shownby dotted lines. The plastic fluid member is indicated at 7 and has aconsistency as above set forth. The plungers are less in diameter thanthe width of the to the full extent, as illustrated in the drawannularrecess, but when they are projected ing, then the entire power istransmitted from the driving element, the casing 2, to the drivenelement 3, through the plastic material and the plungers, but, if theplunger's are slightly retracted so as to allow the fluid element topass the plungers more freely, then the driven element will be driven ata slower speed than the driving element, and the speed of the drivenelement will decrease as the plunger is retracted until finally, whenthe plunger is fully retracted, no motion will be imparted to the drivenelement.

It will be noticed that when the plungers are in their full projectedposition they do not touch the casing and, therefore, motion istransmitted entirely through this dense mass of plastic material. Testshave shown that there is no slip between the driving and the drivenelements when the plungers are fully projected into the dense mass ofplastic material under normal driving strains. This is due to the factthat the driving element is rotated at a speed suificient to cause theplastic fluid mass to pack against the inner periphery of the casing andis caused to turn with the casing due to the projecting abutments, andwhen the plungers are forced into the dense portions of the mass theplungers and the driven element, must turn with the driving element. Theproportions of the composition may be slightly modified withoutdeparting rom the essential features of the invention, but the plasticfluid mass must be such that it will become so dense, due to centrifugalaction, that a plungel, or its equivalent, projected into the mass willrotate therewith.

I claim:

1. A plastic composition'used as a power transmitting member for a fluidclutch, said composition consistin of graphite as a base 5 with glycerinand a brous materiel added thereto to form a plastic fluid mass of .sucha consistency that when compacted 'it will have sufiicient solidit toresist the movemeut'ofone member arclu'tch "in'mspectto DAVID LAKE.

